Morning
Afternoon
Night life
Today, we went to visit the final company during our stay in Japan’s former imperial capital, Kyōto, However, this company is not located in Kyoto, to reach it we’d have to take the Shinkansen, Japan’s high speed train to Nagoya! The Shinkansen is the oldest dedicated high speed train service in the world, with the Tōkaido Shinkansen the oldest line in the world.
At 8:15 the first group left Kyoto, taking the Shinkansen and reaching Nagoya within 33 minutes. The Shinkansen sped through the mountainous Japanese terrain, along Lake Biwa, through countless tunnels, and over numerous viaducts. This group of early birds experienced Nagoya Castle, walking through the gates set into the thick stone walls. Like traditional Japanese castles, the residences are separate from the main keep, and we could walk through them. Although Nagoya castle burnt down in 1945, it has since been rebuilt in the traditional style. This means that we could explore how it would have looked like at the time, before it aged.
At 11:40 we met up as a big group by the central clock in Nagoya station. Here we were greeted by a representative of ‘Toray’ who escorted us to the company. Toray Industries specialises in synthetic materials for use by secondary manufacturers. They presented to us their corporate history, and afterwards we were given a tour of their showroom, showcasing the multitude of products and innovations that they were involved with. The realization that Toray Industries operate a location in Nijverdal that I (Pascal) recently walked by after drinking some beer, was somewhat amusing, for its semi-remote location. Altough some of their inventions will remain a trade secret, there will definitely be an addition to the Hot Wheels track at home. Aside from their location near Nagoya, they operate in other Japanese cities, Korea, Singapore (hey, I know this one!), India, China, and the US. Big business.
At 15:00, our visit to Toray Industries was over and the tour members splintered into small groups. Some went back to Kyoto, to do laundry, to visit some local temples there, or to catch up on sleep. One group even ventured up the Kyoto tower, getting a neat birds-eye view of the Kyoto basin. Others went to explore Nagoya, the aquarium, a Japanese garden and impressive shinto shrine, or to a mall to go shopping. A large Japanese book store took quite some participants’ time, as the covers, pictures, and stories can get a bit funky here. Tip: ask Pascal what your favorite element in the periodic table is.
A local japanese garden was a tranquil visit. With the shade and flowing river offering respite from the scorching sun on the concrete and asphalt of the local roads. This garden represented Japan in several sections, with a subtropical section for Kyushu, and a pine forest for Hokkaido. The pine forest section, ideally shaded, was infested with mosquitos, painful for the group members who changed into shorts. Even excessive amounts of DEET could not fend them off! The garden closed at 17:00, with the last 15 minutes being filled with the melody of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ or ‘wij houden van Oranje‘ for those familiar with that cove
Then we trekked to an impressive Shinto shrine, again being chased by the scorching sun, but being offered respite once more in the shade of the forest surrounding the shrine. Walking through the many large wooden Torii, you could feel the sense of peace offered by the shrine. The shrine did not allow for pictures, as many religious sanctuaries don’t, but it was a beautiful example of traditional Japanese architecture. The flowing shapes of wooden beams, intersected by the white of paper walls and the dark grey of ceramic roof tiles.
Once back in the city centre, we passed the Pokémon centre in Nagoya. Here we spent 30 minutes, walking through the aisles, holding different plushies, looking at plates, games being played, and examining various other goodies. Everyone made a purchase, some small, some a bit bigger, but all appropriately Pokémon themed.
Dinner afterwards was delicious, as we went for noodles. Since we were in Nagoya, we had to try the local speciality: Kishimen. This noodle dish consists of a fish broth with fish cakes and tempura prawn toppings. Others had a delicious curry Udon with beef slices, while someone else had a simple, but expertly prepared ramen. The final group decided to embrace a Japanese Christmas tradition: KFC. We’re almost there right? The internet mutually agrees on a better quality of chicken in this eastern realm comprared to Europe, which was scientifically fact-checked, and this claim turned out to be true.
Walking back to the train station, we passed the Jim Beam Summer Fes, a DJ festival in a small park in Nagoya’s centre. Here you could get a large whisky soda for ¥500, more than 500mL total. The music played was a good mix of hip hop, rap, with english and Japanese interspersed. The crowd work was mostly Japanese, but luckily music transcends linguistic barriers. Here the vibes were fun, and it was great to experience. The other group went to investigate the Osu-Kannon temple and neighborhood, quickly passing by a traditional Japanese arcade. A discussion started whether or not to enter a maid café (this will likely happen in Tokyo).
The last Shinkansen back to Kyoto departed at 22:39, but most had returned by an earlier train, made easy since a Shinkansen runs every 3 minutes at peak times. These trains, consisting of sixteen cars, had the first 3 available to those without a reservation. Finding a spot was not impossible, but sitting together was. Another quick journey through the mountainous Japanese landscape, and we were back in Kyoto.
Here some people went to bed, having big plans for tomorrow, the day off. Others decided to test the nightlife of Kyoto, going for drinks at a pub and then going out longer at a club. For everyone it was a successful day!
Written by: Pascal van Wijk & Sven Nash
